Beehive Industries, a dynamic player in the aerospace technology sector, has opened its new facility in Knoxville, bolstering the local economy with a $4 million investment and a promise of 150 new jobs. The Knoxville Chamber announced the launch, highlighting the pivotal role the 3D-printing company, which specializes in jet engine development and parts manufacturing, plays in the region's burgeoning innovation corridor.
The company's expansion was commemorated on Friday with local dignitaries in attendance, solidifying Knoxville's status as a growing tech hub adjacent to resources like Oak Ridge National Lab and the University of Tennessee. "Really, we're in the innovation corridor. We've got Oak Ridge National Lab, the University of Tennessee. So, it makes a lot of sense from a development standpoint to look at new materials, new processes like additive manufacturing. This area is able to support that. If you look at the workforce as well, it's a very high-skilled and well-developed workforce," Jonaaron Jones, Beehive's president of Additive Manufacturing Sales, told WBIR.
While the facility is set to maintain 45 existing positions, Congressman Tim Burchett expressed optimism about future job creation prospects. The move to Knoxville is part of a strategic initiative by Beehive to transition from a traditional parts supplier to a company with a stronger focus on complete propulsion products, as mentioned in the ceremonial ribbon cutting.
The new 60,000-square-foot manufacturing site at 10505 Murdock Drive marks a significant up-scaling from Beehive's former setup, just 2 miles away. In the process of this expansion, Beehive Industries not only boosts the local job market but also takes a great leap forward by starting to build full jet engines using 3D printing. "Roughly 60 jobs should be added over 18 months in the manufacturing, engineering and machining fields," Chief Product Officer Gordie Follin told Knox News.
Jonaaron Jones, also a University of Tennessee graduate, spoke at the inaugural event, expressing his enthusiasm about the company's growth and the opportunity to help propel his alma mater's local economy. "It shows kind of a lot of culmination and a lot of growth, especially as we are expanding our operations and really looking to transform our company more from a traditional parts supplier, to a focused product supplies with our propulsion products," he told WATE. The Beehive expansion spotlights Knoxville as a destination for high-tech, advanced manufacturing companies, a forefront competitor in the highly specialized arena of aerospace technology.
